Wrench handle detachably connectible to rigid-jaw type wrench head



Sept. 2, 1952 H. G. MILLER, JR.. ET AL 2,608,894

WRENCH HANDLE DETACHABLY CONNECTIBLE T0 RIGID-JAW TYPE WRENCH HEAD Filed Dec. 14, 1951 FIG. .1.

INVENTOR.S lit E8527 G. MlLLEle; JE. V oamua w. MILLER,

BY WAW fiM/ma *flmzdam ATTORNEYS,

Patented Sept. 2, 1952 UNITEDLTSTAT asoass I 'i wR'ENcn I I ANDLEII J ETAC HA BLY counter-*1 IBLE TO RIGID-JAW TYPE This invention relates to wrenches, and-more particularly, has reference to-a wrench of the open-ended type having-an elongated handle I .1 Claim.. (01. 81-9177),

extending from the work-engaging head thereof.

conventionally, a wrench falling' within'th'e;

general category referred to is usually formed with a handle that-is integral or otherwise rigid with the work-engaging head. Most usually, a

set of wrenches is assembled, to provide a'plu rality' of heads' respectively adaptedtogrip nutsorbolts of different sizes. g Y j The conventional? con'struction referred to above has two notable deficiencies which we have noted. In the first instance, it is not possible to change the relationship Of. the handle to the Work-'engaging-head of the WrenchQWhich'puts' the: worker at a disadvantage when, for ex am'pla-the'nut or bolt to'be gripped is infarelative inaccessible location that does not permit free rotationofthe handle. Secondly, the provision ofacomplete set of wrenches each of which must be provided with its own handle raises the cost'of manufacture, particularly where it is desired .thatthe. wrenches be of a high quality steel.

I-Ieretofore, it has been proposed to provide wrenches of the open-ended type having handles adjustable to selected positions of angular relation relative to the plane of the work-engaging head} ofthe wrench. However those tools previously-devised of which we have knowledge, while constituting a distinct improvement over the conventional, rigid construction noted above, have not, so far as is known, met with any degree of commercial success. We believe this may be due to the fact that the adjustment of the handle and head relative to one another is not capable of being made with the speed desirable during use of the tool, or else involves a construction too expensive to warrant manufacture of a complete set of the wrenches in different sizes.

It is, accordingly, the main object of the present invention to provide a wrench of the type stated which will permit a single handle to be connected to a work-engaging head of a selected size in such a manner as to be not only adjustable swiftly to a selected angular relation to the plane of the head, but also will be readily removed entirely from the head, for substitution of a work-engaging head of another size.

from minimum number of ranged in a rugged assembly thatwill not readily;

' parts simply aret-outof order.- 5 v other objects will appear from the following description, the claim appended thereto, and'from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughoutthe several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a wrench formed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side'elevational view; Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2; r

I Figure 4 is a-sectional of Figure l; andl v Figure 5 is a'fragmentary side elevational view view takeri on line-4 4 as viewed from the side opposite tha'tillustrat'ed' in' IF'igure 2, the handle being adjusted to'an ang'ularposition-- relative to the work-engaging -l-'teferring' to the drawings in detail, the'refs erence numeral Ii) has been applied generally to an elongated handle having at one end'the hand grip l2. At its other end; the handle I0 is formed with an 'enlargediend portion generally designated l4, havingffiat, parallel side surfaces [6 and a rounded end surface l8.

The enlarged end portion M of the handle If) is formed with a transverse slot 2D, extending in wardly from the bottom surface of said end portion at an acute angle to the longitudinal cen-" ter line of;the"handle;" the opposite ends of said slot opening upon the respective side'surfaces IR. A pin 22 is receivable in the slot, the upper or closed portion of the slot having a rounded face complementary to the pin 22, thus to permit rotation of the handle I0 upon the pin.

The slot 20 is disposed intermediate the rounded end face is of the end portion Id and a small opening 24 formed in said end portion and opening upon one of the flat side surfaces [6. The opening 24 communicates at its inner end with a counterbore 26, said counterbore and opening being coaxial and having their common axis extended transversely of the end portion M in par- I allelism with the axis of the pin 22.

be manufactured at relatively low cost, the wrench being specifically designed for fabrication The counterbore 2B is threaded for at least a part of its length, and engaged with the threads of the counterbore is a complementarily threaded plug 28 having a bit-receiving kerf in its outer end to permit said plug to be threadably adjusted longitudinally of the counterbore to selected positions within said counterbore.

Confined within the counterbore by the plug 28 is a spring 30, which abuts at one end against the inner end of the plug, and at its other end against a disc 32 integrally formed with a lug 34 proportioned to extend through the opening 24 of the end portion 14. It will be readily appreciated that the tension of the spring 30 is readily adjusted, by threadable adjustment of' the plug 28 longitudinally of the counterbore 26..

A work-engaging wrench head has been gener-z ally designated 36, and has a polygonal recess 38 formed in one end, said recess being adapted work to receive nuts, bolts, pipe fittings, and other to be engaged by the wrench."

tended to be illustrative of the principles of opergation and the means presently devised to carry In its inner end, the work-engaging'head 3G is formed with a recess 40 adapted to receive the end portion M of the handle ill, the side walls of the recess 40 being enlarged upwardly, as-

at 42 (Figures 2 and 4).

Formed in the inner face of that side wall 42 contiguous to the lug 34 is a series of lug-receiving notches 44 arranged radially of the axis of rotation of the pin 22. Any of these notches is adapted to receive the spring-loaded detent or lug 34, to retain the handle ill in a selected angular relationship to the plane of the wrench head 36.

It will be readily seen that the handle ID can be removed from the wrench head 36 with .a minimum of difiiculty and with maximum speed. It is merely necessary, to remove the handle, to swing the handle downwardly relative to the wrench head from the position of the handle illustrated in Figure 2, until the spring-loaded detent 34 moves beyond the series of radial notches 44. Thereafter, the end portion l4 can be lifted ofl the pin 22, the pin moving out of the slot 2!] to permit complete separation of the handle and wrench head.

Another'wrench head can then be readily sub: stituted for that previously used, and the handle is applied to the new wrench head by perform! ing, in reverse, the operation described immediately above.

The handle Hi can, if desired, be arranged in parallelism with the work-engaging head 36, as illustrated in Figure 2',for normal operations. However, if it is desired to swing the handle to a selected angular position relative to the head 36, due to space limitations or other circumstances making the adjustment desirable, the

user merely grasps the head 36 with one hand, while swinging the handle to a selectedinclined position with the other hand, after which the detent is permittedto engage in the approout said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor changes in construction thatmay be permitted within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is: In a wrench, a handle having one end portion -.formed-with a transverse slot; a wrench head from one side of said end portion of the handle having a first recess at one end embracing said end portion of the handle, the other end of the head beingof plane formation and having a second recess proportioned to engage an object to be rotated; a pin carried by the head and extending transversely between side walls of the first recess, said pin extending through the slot to provide means separably connecting the handle to the head for pivotal adjustment to selectedangles relative to the plane of said otherjend of the head, the head having a series of notches formed in one side wall of the first recess and arranged radially of said pin; and a springloaded detent carried by and projecting laterally in spaced relation to the slot thereof, said detent extending in parallelism with the pin for engagement in a selected notch, to retain the handle in selected positions to which it is adjusted relative to the head. V p

' HERBERT G. MILLER, JR.

DONALD W. MILLER.

, REFERENCES CITED .The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 820,185 Edmands May 8, 1906 1,080,121 Oriol Dec. 2, 1913 1,292,285 Fairchild Jan. 21, 1919 1,792,850

Looft Feb. 17, 1931 

